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We spent a quick few days in Oahu before heading to the Big Island on our recent vacation, and tried to check out the Hawaiian Hut one night (kinda late). There was a sold out event there, so we couldn't get in. We went back the next day, on our way to the airport, in hopes of it being open. There was someone inside cleaning, so the door was open, but it hadn't opened yet that day. He kindly let us walk around inside to take some pics. It was incredible !! I can't believe I've missed it all these years. Its the last remaining of the Spencecliff Restaurants, don't miss this place, while its still around. There's a South Seas Revue regularly playing there ( Don Tiki also played there early last year). Pics to follow shortly.

Yep, after Chuck's has been razed, it's the last unrenovated vintage place left (besides La Mariana's of course) in Honululu. The quality of some of their carved decor pieces let's one get an idea what was on display in Honululu eateries at the height of Polynesian pop. I remember walking into this small joint called "South Seas" (not the now car dealership by the airport) in the early 90s and it had some of the greatest Marquesan Tikis and weapons hangin around. I think it was a Spencecliff place too. Next visit it was gone.

Ah, the South Seas ! I was wondering what that building near the airport was. I can only imagine what it might have been like in Honolulu, back in the height of the era. Here's what pics I could get of the Hawaiian Hut...my camera batteries were konking out !

Aaaaah, more great images! Check out that Marquesan war club on the top of the "View from entrance" picture, that's what I am talking about! Don't see too many carvings in the other pics though, maybe some have "walked".
Funny thing is, for the first time I recognize that carving by the front door of "Maui catching the fish" as copied from the great Maori meeting house in the Hamburg museum, my home town source of inspiration. It's been published in many Oceanic art books. Strange how an artifact that was sold in 1900 from New Zealand to Germany (the house was considered "bad luck" and lay unassembled for years) makes its way back to the Pacfic in Polynesian pop form.

Reading that article that Randy posted in the Waikikian thread about Spence Weaver's Tiki collection really convinces me that Weaver must have imported Marquesan carvings directly from those islands (probably through Tahiti), the quality of the stuff I have seen in his joints is just too good.
Unfortunately, nowadays it is hard to find pieces of that order even in the Marquesas themselves, every thing is geared towards the quick tourist buck.
Ironic that in the 50s real ancient Polynesian artifacts were unattainable and had to be reproduced for restaurants, and now the quality reproductions of THAT period seem just a rare.

We were told by some local folks in Waikiki, that Spence Weaver gave ( or sold for a minimal cost ) the Hawaiian Hut to one of his long-time employees. That's probably why it hasn't been changed, thankfully !

Thanks SO much for this info. We'd been to Honolulu twice and never knew about this place. We caught the show when we were back last month. The reason it's kind of under the radar for us here is they seem to cater to Japanese tour groups exclusively. They don't even have a listing in the yellow pages. I think we were the only Americans there. The show is narrated in English and Japanese. The show was quite good - and I don't usually like stuff like that. Show and one fairly respectable drink was $35 per person or thereabouts, including tax and tip. You can get dinner for sixty something a person. We learned from the Don Ho Show to skip these kind of dinners, but that said, it was a buffet and didn't look that bad. The room is awesome, the staff is nice, the performers are talented. They come around and take cheesy photos of you with and without sexy wahine and then try to sell them to you. A great retro-touristy experience. Highly recommended.

I'm headed over to Oahu for a quick 3 nighter on January 23rd. I'm gonna try to make it by.

I was a fairly regular at the South Seas Village in Waikiki for alotta years. Was a fantastic place! And great drinks. But their selection of huge and delicious pupu platters was just incredible and one of the best deals in town at the time. We always went there for pre-dinner drinks and pupus...and then always just ended up staying and skipping on our dinner reservations elsewhere! Really, really miss the South Seas Village!

So I'm going to see if I can recognize any of the South Seas artifacts.

Thanks for the posts about this place! I'd been to Honolulu several times but never knew about it. Fortunately, I found this thread just in time for a trip earlier this month. Definitely a very fun room to see, and the show was good. We just did the cocktail seating, rather than including the buffet. We ended up being seated right by the buffet table; the food didn't look very appealing to me and there is a pretty big price jump to include it. We just stuck to our one-drink each, since the tropical cocktails we picked were really sugary sweet and the only beer they have is Miller High Life (they did serve the *Bluest* Blue Hawaiian I've ever seen).

There's not much I can add to Puamana's great photos, so here are just a few of mine that are a little different.

Nice pictures, I went to Leon Russel there last spring, Saw John Mayall there a couple years ago and Also Derek Trucks, some blues promoters having been putting a show in there now and then, It's remarkable that the place has held up for so long.

Unfortunately the nice old Lady that created and ran The La Mariana passed away a couple months ago, I hope the lease isn't in question there. I think there would be a riot if anything happened to the place but I had heard at one time that the state didnt want to continue the lease after she was gone, but I dont see how they could could get away with it, we have so little of the old pop Tiki style left. They cracked down on the Saturday night sing alongs we used to have there trying to force her (the owner) to buy a cabaret license, but the sing along moved, that was something to see, a lot of old Tiki lounge singers would gather about 9pm on Satudays nights and stand around the out of tune grand piano and sing the old Hawaiin songs, usually closed with the national anthem, twas a site to see, they have moved to an old Chinese place now I believe although I think they started at a place called the polynesian terrace and when they tore that down they moved to the LaMariana along with some of the furniture.

On 2008-11-01 02:12, OahuClay wrote:Nice pictures, I went to Leon Russel there last spring, Saw John Mayall there a couple years ago and Also Derek Trucks, some blues promoters having been putting a show in there now and then, It's remarkable that the place has held up for so long.

Now I like a good rock or blues show as much as anybody, but one at the Hawaiian Hut would just be, well, bizarre. Tikis, tapa, giant shell lamps, Polynesian weapons and ... Derek Trucks. That's just odd. The place is more fitting for a band like Don Tiki (who have played there).

Our visit to the Hawaiian Hut was a highlight of our Hawaiian vacation in summer of 2007. A truly special place that is a time capsule, very much like the Mai-Kai in that respect.